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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · staff · rush · perch · chip · spell · nail · wax

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. perch — the fish
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. clip — to cut
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wax — to grow
  12. staff — employees
  13. spell — letters
  14. staff — a stick
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chip — for betting
  18. spell — a short time
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. staff — employees
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. clip — a video
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com